11 Oct 2023

Transformation and evolution of BotswanaPost over the years places the institution at the heart of Botswana’s overall development.

This was said by Minister of Communications, Knowledge and Technology, Mr Thulagano Segokgo, at the World Post day commemoration in Maokane on Tuesday.

Minister Segokgo said from its humble beginnings where mail was transported on foot to today’s era where the parastatal had embraced technology and digitalisation, BotswanaPost had been among the front-runners upon whose operations the country’s economic transformation was anchored.

“In 1980, Botswana Telecommunications Corporation, which is today a key player in the mobile telecommunications space, was established,” Mr Segokgo said, citing the two as some of the key markers of growth and development that made up the organisation’s journey.

“In 1989, still from our postal service, Botswana Savings Bank came into being to provide financial services to Batswana.”

He said with the array of services that it presently provided, the institution was among those driving with vigour President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s digital transformation and mind-set change campaigns which sought to have Batswana tag along with the rest of the globe in embracing technology as vehicle for growth.

BotswanaPost chief executive officer, Mr Cornelius Ramatlhakwane, said with their proximity to communities, post offices were integral to efforts to bridge the digital divide.

“While it is crucial to have post offices closer to communities to enhance the accessibility of its services, it is even more important for communities to be made aware of the positive impact that postal services could have in people’s lives, their businesses and the general activities of their daily lives,” he said.

Mr Ramatlhakwane said on the organisation’s property strategy, which saw it refurbish eight post offices and construct six new ones across the country from 2021 to date, he said the development had elicited questions on the significance of having physical post offices in the era of digitalisation.

He added that it was worth noting that for communities like Maokane which sat on the periphery of general developments, easy access to a post office and the services that it offered served as an important vehicle towards digital inclusivity, something that put communities in similar standing in good stead to also reap the fruits of digitalisation.

He said the construction of Maokane post office cost P1.6 million and the project was delivered on time and within budget, a feat that he said was rare especially with local contractors.
Earlier, Kgosi Isaac Banyaditse of Maokane had thanked BotswanaPost for building a post office in his village.

He said in addition to the facility being a key landmark in the village, it would make life easier for residents as it made accessible to them many important services that they previously accessed in Jwaneng.

The World Post Day commemoration was held under the theme: “Together for Trust -- Collaborating for a Safe and Connected Future.”

The event was also used to mark the official opening of the local post office. ENDS